I'm in the market for a pair of all-purpose multipattern mics, w/a general eye towards flatteringly neutral workhorses that could also work well as drum OHs. (I have plenty of mics to cover my other bases.) Thus, my question: has anyone done a head-to-head match between these two giants of the cheap seats?

In a mono clip I heard, the Warbler did a lovely job of capturing the kit, but it didn't have much "sparkle" (though perhaps "sparkle" is a poor metric, particularly when it comes time to push faders). Meanwhile, I've only heard a spaced stereo example of the WA-14s on solo drums; as far as I could tell, they had a pleasing brightness that might possibly become overbearing in a mix. (This seemed to come out - almost distortedly, though that may be a fault of an inattentive engineer - in some vocal demos I watched, as well.) A potential outlier here might be the MKIVD, which is brighter than its cousin but could conceivably be "voiced" (via switch) to smooth out the top end. However, I couldn't find a clip of the MKIVD on OHs, so this remains entirely theoretical.

All of the above sound good on acoustic guitar and vocals, as far as I can tell. They'll also give me hi-fi Blumlein capabilities, which is nice. The MKID has a "does everything well" vibe that I like, but the WA-14 is no slouch, and it has one clear advantage over the 3U: -10db & -20db pads. Still, I'd like to hear how people are using and liking these mics in practice. (Sound clips would be more than welcome, too.)

Also, just to cover myself before you start telling me to just pick up a couple used C414s: my budget is exactly $800, as that's the going value of the mics I plan to sell in order to finance this little venture. Also worth noting is that my main pair for OHs right now are Line Audio CM4s, which are very flat and accurate, but don't impart much "thickness." (I also occasionally use my Audio Technica Pro 37s when I want to get that lo-fi "1992 indie rock" sound.)

Update: I sprung for the MKIDs. May get a WA-14 or Warbler MKIV (card only) in a year or so if I find I'm missing upper frequencies/high mids, but - beyond perhaps a pair of ribbons in a few months - I'm pretty much done with new mics.

I went for the Warbler Mk1D too. After listening to them on acoustic guitar. I'll be using it for vocals though mainly. I did think about the MKIV but decided against it.